Vehicle-shaft support.



Patented Sept. 2, 1902.

I. D. CADY.

VEHICLES'HAFTWSUPVFIURTJ (Application filed Dec. 16, 1901.)

(No Model.)

WTNESSES lNVENTElFI W m: uonRls PETERs co. wioTu umm, wAsHium'oN, n. c.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IRA D. OADY, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA,

-VEHICLE-SHAFT S UPPORT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 708,020, datedSeptember 2, 1902.

Application filed December 16 1901. Serial No. 3 N mo l-l To all whom itWorry concern:

Be it known that I, IRA D. OADY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State ofMinnesota, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Vehicle-ShaftSupporters, of which the following is a specification, reference beinghad to the'accompanying drawlugs.

My invention has for its object the production of simple andefficientmeans for holding the shafts of Vehicles in an upright positionwhen not in use; and it consists in'affixing elastic supports to theupper side of the shafts near their rear ends, which elastic supportswhen the vehicle is in use will remain free or out of contact with theaxle, but when the vehicle is not in use and the shafts thereof areraised to an upright position the rear ends of the said elastic supportswill interlock with the axle-clips, thereby supporting the shafts intheir then upright position.

I am aware of the fact that similar devices have been invented for thepurpose specified; but my device possesses certain novel features whichgives it advantage over others, among which are, first, simplicity, itbeing fashioned in one piece; second, adaptability, it being adapted toattachment to all vehicles without the removal of the clips or otherparts; third, freedom from contact with the axle or clip, therebyavoiding rubbing and consequent wear; fourth, adaptability, it beingfashioned to provide for longitudinal adjustment, and, fifth,efflciency,being so fashioned as to lock the shafts securely in an uprightposition, yet adapted to release them Without danger 'of breakage. I

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of avehicle-shaft equipped with one of my supporters and a cross-section ofthe axle, the shafts being in a horizontal position, as when in use;Fig. 2, the same, the shafts being in a vertical position, as when notin use; Fig. 3, a cross-section of shaft and clamping device; and Figs.4:, 5, 6, and 7 views of my supporter at different stages of itsconstruction.

Similar letters refer to similar parts, A being the shaft of a carriage;B, the axle thereof; 0, the clip coupling the said shaft to the saidaxle; D, the shaft-supporter, and E the clamp securing theshaft-supporter to the shaft. The shaft A, axle B, and clip 0 are notunlike those commonly used, hence need no description herein.

The supporter consists of a single piece of spring-wire fashioned in thefollowing manner: I select suitable wire (hard steel being best adaptedto the purpose) and cutit into the required length, (about twelve incheslong,)

, thus forming the blank bars, as shown in Fig.

4, which I now bend at a point midway between their opposite ends, thusforming the elongated U-shaped loop shown in Fig. 5, having two parallelbars a of equal length connected at one end by the semicircular portionb. I next bend the connected ends of the parallel bars a (the portion1)) laterally and form the coil 0. (Shown in Fig. 6.) I next bend thefree ends of the'paralleLbars a laterally in an opposite direction tothe coil c, thereby forming the lugs d, and complete my supporter bybending the parallel bars a intermediate their length, so as to leavethe coil 0 on the concave and the lugs d on the convex sides thereof.The clamp E consists of an inverted-U-shaped clamp e, adapted to overlapthe shaft A, a laterally-pierced clam ping-bar f, adapted to receive thedownwardlyextending threaded ends of the clamp e, and the threaded nuts9, adapted to receive the threaded ends of the clamp e, which extendsbelow the clamping-bar f, and to secure the said clamp and bar to theshaft A. The

under side of the upper portion of the clamp e is fashioned with alongitudinal slot or recess h, adapted to receive the upwardly-extendinglugs 01 of the supporter D, and with two transverse grooves 11, adaptedto receive the portions of the parallel bars on adjacent to the saidlugs d. This clamping device while holding the supporter D rigidly uponthe shaft A provides for adjustment of the former, the clamp 6 beinglongitudinally mov-. able upon the shaft A.

The operation of my shaft-supporter is as follows: When the vehicle isinuse and the shafts are in a horizontal position, therearwardlyextending and downwardly-curved supporter D is free fromcontact with the carriage axle B or any attachment thereof. Hence thereis no rubbing of parts; but when the vehicle is not in use, and it isdesirable to have the shafts supported oh? the floor, I raise them to avertical position,when the supporter D will pass downward and to therear of the axle B, its coiled loop will underlap the rear portion ofthe clip 0, and thereby support the shafts A in their then verticalposition. While the tension of the supporter D is sufficient to hold theshafts securely in a vertical position, it is not so great that itprovents the shafts from being lowered to a horizontal position whenrequired.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

A device of the type set forth comprising stantially as described.

IRA D. CADY.

Witnesses:

VERNAL TRUESDELL, W. G. THORNTON.

